-William-

When he stepped out into the cool night, he caught a glimpse of the girl as she disappeared around the corner of the inn. Still yearning to speak with her, he decided to follow her. Eagerness caught his feet, spread through his every vein and urged him to hurry after her.

As he turned the very corner he'd seen her disappear around, he saw her. She was walking along a muddy road. Barely able to see her in the darkness, he went after her.

"Is she walking home alone? Without a chaperone or an elder?" He whispered to himself in disbelief as he walked after her. "Why would she put herself at risk like that?"

Why are you following her is the real question. He thought to himself.

Treading carefully, not to make any noise that would startle her into a sprint or making her think he meant her harm, he continued after her.

When he was just a couple of meters behind her, he could hear her singing to herself. It sounded like a lullaby, but not really. It wasn't slow enough to be a lullaby, but it was very beautiful. She whistled during the song. The melody was soft and very soothing. Her voice was low as she sang, as to not wake anyone in the vicinity.

William blinked slowly as she kept singing and watched her rock from side to side with each step she took.

Then it dawned on him that she wasn't in a hurry. Neither had she looked over her shoulder once to see if someone was following her.

How can she dawdle like this in the middle of the night? Completely alone? Is she not the slightest afraid of being attacked? He frowned as confusion replaces the tranquility she'd just swaddled him in with her singing.

He studied their surroundings and didn't breathe until he was sure they were alone.

After a short walk, a rugged house appeared. It was surrounded by neatly kept, thick hedges. On a tree stump close to the house, a man sat waiting. The girl waved and William kept to the shadows of the birches around him.

It must be her father.

She walked up to the man and was greeted by a tired smile and kind eyes. William stopped and swore silently to himself. He wasn't going to be able to talk to her tonight. Not without having to explain himself to her father about why he had followed her all the way home, lurking in the shadows rather than just letting her know that he wanted to speak to her. It would seem like he wanted to harm her.

"Are you singing your grandfather's song again?" Her father asked and he put an enormous arm around her shoulders.

"Yes..." She answered softly and leaned her head against him. "I miss him terribly." The last words ringed with sorrow.

She must have lost him recently... William thought.

"We all do." Her father said comfortingly as they went into the house together.

William stood in the protection of the birches and knew he had to come back tomorrow. He needed to speak to that girl. He had never been so sure about anything in his life.

. . .

He awoke early the next morning, snuck out of the inn and went back to the girl's house. All without being caught by ser Thomas. As he walked back to the girl's house he noticed how none of the villagers seemed to have risen as early as him. There was not a soul in the road as he made his way to the small rugged house . The only company he had was the chirping birds above him and a light summer breeze.

No one was outside when William arrived. He went up to the door and was just about to knock when he heard someone clear their throat behind him.

"Who are you?" The voice was that of a man, and it was cautious to the tone.

William turned. It was the girl's father. He studied William from top to toe and the expression on his face went from cautious to irritated. Which confused William. He didn't look like a thug so why was the old man looking at him like he was one?

"Good morning." William greeted the man politely. "I apologize for disturbing you at such an early hour-"

"What brings you here, boy?" The man said, abruptly interrupting William. The man didn't seem to have a need to keep their conversation polite, his tone was barely civil. William felt a bit baffled and confused. He wasn't used to being addressed in such manner. Normally, people of a lower social status, than himself, spoke very respectfully to him...

He knows nothing about you, so why would he act respectfully? William reminded himself. You are just a stranger on his porch. One that is about to ask to see his daughter at that...

"I wish to speak to your daughter." William demanded. If the man wasn't going to hide his intentions, then neither would he. He needed to see her again.

"Did she do anything?" The man wondered and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, I simply wish to speak with her." William replied.

The man's face turned suspicious and he walked past William and up to the door. Something told him that he wasn't going to see her today.

"Get off my land, and more importantly; get of my porch." The girl's father said. There was an unspoken threat in his words. He looked at William's belt, quickly noticing the sword fastened to it. "Now." he added.

"I don't mean her any harm." William explained and caught the man's attention before he put his hand on the door handle. "I just-"

"Leave." The man reciprocated, his words followed by a slamming of the door. Right in William's face.

"Well, that could have gone better..." William sighed and started walking back to the inn.

He would be back, but for now he had to return to the inn before sir Thomas awoke and realized that he wasn't there. But one thing was for sure; he was going to see that girl again and he wasn't going to let her father scare him away.

Now...

-Jade-

When Jade came home from the baker, her mother was standing in the door frame with an impatient and excited look on her face. She had Pete, Jade's youngest sibling on her hip. Jade's mother watched her with an uncertain smile on her lips and then went into the house again. Jade shook her head and sighed at her mother's mysterious behavior.

What now? She thought and looked down into the basket and established that she hadn't forgotten anything. Today's bread was there and she had even gotten some milk as well.

It is always something with that woman. She thought when she couldn't understand why her mother had been waiting for her.

"What if the crops spoil, Anthor?" Jade imitated her mother's anxious voice. "Last year's crops were spoiled when the frost came early! Remember?" Jade smirked and laughed to herself. Her mother always worried too much.

Her father, on the other hand, rarely worried and always seemed to want to fill his ears with soil whenever his wife began her worrying. Jade would take her siblings outside while their parents argued over something that might, or might not, happen.

However, her mother's largest concern seemed to be that Jade was still a maiden. It was often her favorite subject for discussion whenever they had dinner. Especially, if her mother had heard of a girl getting married in the village, while her daughter remained alone. Jade hadn't heard of another wedding than Marie's so it didn't make any sense that her mother would have this specific subject in mind. She drifted off to a memory from a recent dinner...

"Don't be cross with me for saying this, but Marie isn't as beautiful as you, Jade. All she has is that non-existing waist which she got from her mother."

Mother had said this the other day when she was very agitated about the fact that Marie was getting married and Jade wasn't.

"Mother! That is cruel!" Jade objected strongly. "Marie looks just fine, stop comparing me with every girl in Thornstead."

"I will not." Her mother had answered and given her a quick pat on her cheek. "Any man would be so lucky to marry you. My beautiful Jade... but I fear that he won't be from our village..."

Jade had rolled her eyes. Her mother had probably considered every young man in their village for Jade as a candidate, but none has asked for her hand, and more importantly; Jade didn't want to marry any of them. She had grown up with the boys, and men, in Thornstead and she had absolutely no desire to wed anyone of them.

"Clara, please leave the poor girl alone." Her father had said without looking at them. He just kept eating his dinner, hoping that his wife would leave things alone.

"Anthor! She is almost twenty two years old! It is time. Where are her suitors? There should be plenty!" Jade's mother had said, filled to her very brim with impatience. "Did you say no to someone and not tell me?" The words were as suspicious as they were ludicrous.

Jade had laughed at her mother's accusation while her father had groaned tormented.

. . .

Jade cleared her head of the memory as she stepped into the house. Pete came running up to her, hugging her leg and jumping so she would understand that he wanted her to pick him up.

"Where have you been?" Father asked with a deep voice that expressed some sort of concern... Jade could sense a hint of annoyance in his voice as well. He stood next to the door and must have been waiting for her to get back. Jade picked up her little brother Pete. He hugged her neck and nestled in her hair as he always did.

Were they both waiting for me to return from the baker? That is strange...

"I went to get bread? Like I do every morning?" She asked and gave her father a puzzled look. She handed the basket of bread over for him to see. "Where else would I have been?" She frowned at him.

"Did you crawl to the baker?" He snapped in response, grabbed the basket and walked to the table. Jade blinked, surprised by the rudeness of her father. What is the matter with him? What is the cause of this rude comment? She wondered. This, certainly, isn't like him.

"No, but you can crawl out of that foul mood of yours." She snapped back and sat down at the table with Pete in her arms. He gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek and let out at cry of laughter when he saw her disgusted reaction because he had smeared his drool all over her.

"Iria! Samuel! Breakfast" Her mother called out to her other siblings.

She was considerably older than all of her siblings; Pete, the youngest, was barely two years, while Samuel was eight and Iria, her only sister, was turning ten this winter. They all shared their mother's dark hair and their father's blue eyes. But they wildly differed in personality. Jade was as stubborn and hot-tempered as her father while her siblings had inherited the calmer nature of their mother, for now. When they would grow older, their personalities would develop and Jade was excited to see whom of them would inherit what from their wildly different parents.

Jade combed Pete's hair away from his face with her fingers and gave him an equally sloppy kiss as the one she'd just received. He cried high with laughter again and jerked in her embrace. Iria and Samuel sat down next to their older sister and started eating.

They ate in silence, or at least until Pete considered himself full and wanted to leave the table with a mouthful of bread and his cup of milk in his hands. Jade bounced him up and down softly on her knee while eating. If she could keep him satisfied for a while, they would all be able to have a moment of peace and quiet.

However, this morning, Jade's mother put her food away after only a couple of minutes. She gave her husband a meaningful look. The dark brown hair swayed around her face when she turned her eyes to Jade again. There was a big smile on her lips. That smile is too big... Jade thought suspiciously. Something is wrong. Her mother's eyes gleamed and she was clenching her fists closely to her body in excitement. Jade looked at her father briefly through her lashes. He looked very uneasy and noticed that she watched him. He turned to his wife.

"Now?" he whispered. He didn't seem too keen to open his mouth at all.

"Yes, Anthor! Now!" Jade's mother answered and nodded towards Jade. She grabbed Pete away from Jade. "Go on! Tell her!"

"What is it?" Jade asked reluctantly. She wasn't sure if she was going to like the mysterious news they had for her. Especially when her mother seemed thrilled and her father looked like he wanted to disappear into thin air. "Why are the two of you acting so strange?" There came no answer and she looked at Pete for a second and then at her mother. "Are you expecting another one?" she asked and sighed. Her parents' eyes widened drastically.

"No! Are you out of your mind?" her father exclaimed loudly. "Four of you little devils are enough!" Jade's mother slapped him hard on his arm.

"Anthor! Don't speak about them like that. You were the one who wanted the last two..." Mother said. She put Pete on the table like the living proof and support he was for her argument. "Jade, we have good news." She continued after a moment and then put a hand over her mouth with excitement and looked at her husband again.

Apparently this isn't her news to give... It is father's to give, and he doesn't seem to want to give them at all. Jade determined on her own. The look on her father's face told her the news were not as good as her mother claimed.

"Would you mind telling me what they are?" Jade asked. "You're getting pale, father." She said after confirming that he indeed looked paler than usual. "It can't be that bad." She said to him and giggled. He gave her a look that confirmed that it, in fact, could be that bad. She started to feel anxious and put her breakfast down. Her father cleared his throat before he spoke.

"You are to be married, Jade." He forced himself to speak the words. "A man has asked for your hand in marriage."

The room went completely silent, except Pete, who was babbling while he played with a piece of bread he wasn't going to eat.

"What do you mean I am to be married?" Jade whispered with an empty voice.

"Isn't this fantastic news?" Jade looked at her mother who couldn't contain her joy. Her face had lit up with joy. Jade couldn't remember when she last saw her mother this happy.

"What do you mean?" she yelled when the news hit her.

They had found her a husband? She hadn't even met him! She hadn't even been given the chance to say no or even object. The young ones jumped at her high voice and Pete whimpered. He didn't like when they yelled at each other.

"I can tell that you are upset." Her father said calmly. Jade laughed rudely at him.

"Upset?" she snapped. "How could you make this decision without even..." She couldn't finish the sentence. She felt so betrayed and... hurt. A storm of feelings entered her from nowhere and she threw her cup of milk in the wall behind her parents. It went everywhere. Pete started to cry and hid in their mother's arms. Her parents looked at her in shock.

"What the hell is the meaning of this?" she screamed frustrated and pressed her hands against her head.

"Jade, please calm down. It is not any man." Her father tried to console her. "And, why are you so upset? You know that you have to get married at some point."

"That's not helping." Her mother whispered and didn't take her eyes off Jade.

"Then you say something helpful, Clara!" He snapped back. "You are the one who wanted this for her."Jade's staring eyes fixed on her mother.

"It is not a bad thing, dearest." Her mother began when she saw the anger in Jade's eyes. "He will be a very good match for you. He will be more than able to provide for you and keep you safe. He is of a higher social class than us."

"You sold me off to some lord?" Jade spat out the words. "How much? How much did he give you?"

"We did not sell you." Her father's voice almost sent a shiver through Jade's body. Her father had had enough of her behavior. He had quickly run out of patience. "We wouldn't have agreed to this if we didn't think he'd be good enough for you."

Jade slowly started to realize what they were saying. She felt empty. Nothing she said or screamed seemed to matter. She looked at her parents with despair. How was this good news? How could mother think this was something that would make Jade happy? How could father have agreed to this?

"I don't understand." She said with a lowered voice. "This is only supposed to happen to noble girls. I should be able to choose..."

"Not all girls get to choose, Jade." Her mother reminded her carefully.

"But who would want me? I'm just a farmer's daughter. Isn't that a bad match for him?" Tears started to blur her vision. "Who is he?" she asked with a cold voice. Tears were streaming down her cheeks simultaneously as she spoke and a sniffle tore itself out of her. "Who bought me?" She slammed her hand in the table so hard her siblings flinched. The uneven wooden table left splinters in her fingers and she broke a nail.

"For the last time, Jade. We didn't sell you..." her mother whispered. "We..." Her words failed her and the joy that was in her eyes a moment ago was now long gone.

"Who is going to help out around the house?" Jade asked harshly. "Who will take over my chores? Pete is only two and do you seriously think that Samuel and Iria are old enough?"

"Your mother and I are going to take care of all that. We managed before we had you and we can do it until your siblings are old enough." Her father answered with a patient tone. "And Iria is almost old enough to start working around the house... You were her age when you started."

Jade stormed out of the house...

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Hope you liked it!

Much love,

Jenny